Counting mechanism actuator



May 25, 1943. N. s. WELK 2,320,021

COUNTING MECHANISM ACTUATOR Original Filed July 26, 1939 Patented May 25, 1943 2,320,021 COUNTING MECHANISM ACTUATO Nelson S. Welk,

Athens, Ohio, assignor to The MfilBee Company, Athens, Ohio, a corporation of 0 Original application July 26, 1939, Serial No.

286,570. Divided and this application August 16, 1940, Serial No.

Claims.

My invention relates to that class of machine described in my copendlng application, Serial No. 286,570, now Patent No. 2,233,149, issued February 25, 1941, of which this is a division.

In machines of this type, cards or other sheet material, which are to be counted, are generally fed through the machine by feed rollers. A-s described in that application there is a hopper in which the cards to be fed are placed. A gauge is provided which will only permit a single card to pass into the machine at a time. A feed roller is mounted so as to contact the lowermost card in the stack and move it forwardly to where it is caught by a pair of squeeze rollers, and thence carried past a counter of standard construction.

My invention relates more particularly to the means for actuating the counter.

My invention has for its principal object to improve the construction of this actuator by providing a device which will insure the cards, which are being counted, invariably moving the actuator so as to cause the counter to register each card as it passes through the machine.

Further object is to provide means to lock the counter and prevent additional counting.

My means of accomplishing the foregoing objects may be more fully comprehended by having reference to the accompanying drawing, which is hereunto annexed and is apart of this specification in which:

Fig.1 is a diagrammatic view of the operation of the machine showing the perliminary stacking of the cards on the conveyor belt, a card ready to be counted and the feed end of the cards to be counted;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the counter wheel being moved by a card to be counted;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing card counted and counter-locked to prevent additional counting; and

Fig. 4 is an end view of counter with my improved device mounted thereon.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the entire specification.

- As shown in thedrawing, I provide a hopper l0, for a stack of cards I2. The cards rest against an inclined plate 14, which results in placing them in a position, so that the lowest card in the stack l2, will be fed through the gage or caliper l8, by means of the main feed wheel i8, which can be driven in any suitable manner (not shown). As the card is fed into the machine, it is caught between a pair of squeeze rolls 20 and' 2|, which move it forward to the position shown in Fig. 1 in which the front edge 22, of the card is about to impinge my improved counter actuator. Instead of the usual finger which is supplied with the standard counting devices, I mount a. paddle wheel 24, which preferably is equipped with three legs 28, at the end of which are formed concave sickle shaped feet 28, which are adapted to receive the edge 22, of the card as it is fed through the machine. This serves to move the paddle wheel to the position shown in Fig. 2 causing it to rotate the shaft 30 to which it is secured and to actuate the counting device 32, and cause it to register a unit. As the card moves on, the foot 28 passes downwardly through a slot 34, formed in a platform 36. This movement of the leg 26 with its attached foot will move the point of the cam in the counting device (not shown) from under its spring, as set forth in my United States Patent No. 2,233,154 issued February 25, 1941, so that the paddle wheel will offer no resistance to further movement until the edge of. the following card will impinge the concave surface of the succeeding sickle shaped foot 28, on the leg 26 of the paddle wheel 25, when the operation will be repeated and the counting device will again be actuated.

Practice has shown that by constructing the feet 28 as shown in the drawing, the tendency of the cards to move either upwardly or downwardly in their passage through the machine after leaving the first set of squeeze rolls with the attendant liabilityto slip over or beneath the foot is reduced to a minimum, since the concavity of the foot 28, tends to and does in practice direct the card to the center thereof. After actuating the counting device, the card passes to a second set of squeeze rolls 38 and 40, which are located, as described in the application before referred to, Serial No. 286,570, about one quarter of an inch below the first set. These rolls 38 and 40, cause the card to assume a horizontal position as soon as it is released from the first set of squeeze rolls 20 and 2|. As the paddle wheel 24, is moved by the card one third of a turn and the counting device registers, the following foot will rest momentarily uponthe counted card which is resting upon the platform 86, preventing further moveno interference and the sequential order of the card-s will not be disturbed. After the cards leave the second set of squeeze rolls.

they preferably are handled as set forth in the parent application.

Having described my invention, what I regard as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A machine for counting cards comprising a counting mechanism, an actuator having a hub, a driving connection between said hub and said counting mechanism, a plurality of legs extending outwardly from said hub, the end of each said leg being offset to provide an overhanging card-receiving portion, the radially inward part of said overhang providing an abutment portion effective against the card during counting traverse thereof with increasing resistance to displacement of the card toward the axis of rotation of said leg, the radially outer part of the next circumferentially spaced leg having a smooth outer surface adapted to rest momentarily on the surface of said same card during the counting traverse thereof.

2. A machine for counting cards comprising a counting mechanism, a paddle wheel, means for rotatably mounting said paddle wheel, means for connecting said paddle wheel to actuate said counting mechanism, a platform having a slot therein positioned below the paddle wheel to support the card to be counted as it traverses said platform, said paddle wheel having three circumferentially spaced radial legs extending outwardly of the center thereof, each of said legs terminating in a sickel-shaped foot adapted to pass through the slot in the platform as the paddle wheel is rotated and having a concave card-receiving portion to prevent the card traversing the platform from overriding or underriding.

3. A machine for counting cards comprising a counting mechanism, a paddle wheel, means for rotatably mounting said paddle wheel, means for connecting said paddle wheel to actuate said counting mechanism, a platform having a slot therein positioned below the paddle wheel to support the card to be counted as it traverses said platform, said paddle wheel having a plurality of radial legs extending outwardly therefrom, each of said legs terminating in a Sickleshaped foot the concave surface of which is impinged by the edge of a card as it passes over the platform to prevent said card from overriding or underriding, the next circumferentially spaced leg resting momentarily on said card and then passing through said slot as the paddle wheel is rotated.

4. A machine for counting cards comprising a counting mechanism, a paddle wheel, means for rotatably mounting said paddle wheel, means for connecting said paddle wheel to actuate said counting mechanism, a platform having a slot therein positioned below the paddle wheel to support the card to be counted as it traverses said platform, said paddle wheel having a plurality of radial legs extending outwardly therefrom spaced approximately 120 apart, each of said legs having formed at the end thereof a semicircular hook the concave surface of which is impinged by the edge of the card as it passes over the platform to prevent the card thereon from overriding or underriding, rotation of said paddle wheel bringing the next circumferentially spaced leg into momentary contact with said card followed by the passing thereof through the slot in the platform as the paddle wheel is rotated.

5. A machine for counting cards comprising a counting mechanism, a paddle wheel, means for rotatably mounting said paddle wheel, means for connecting said paddle wheel to actuate said counting mechanism, a platform having a slot therein positioned below the paddle wheel to support the card to be counted as it traverses said platform, said paddle wheel having radial legs extending outwardly therefrom spaced approximately 120 apart, each of said legs having formed at the end thereof a sickle-shaped foot the inwardly concave surface of which is impinged by the edge of a card as it passes over the platform to prevent the card thereon from overriding or underriding, rotation of said paddle wheel bringing the outer convex surface of the next circumferentially spaced leg into momentary engagement with the card followed by the passing thereof through the slot in the platform as the paddle wheel is rotated.

NELSON S. WELK. 

